Meanwhile, exhausted passengers from the Coral Adventurer made their way back to Cairns on Tuesday night. They otherwise would have been marooned at sea, victims of an unforeseen emergency. The luxury cruise liner, which left Cairns on December 18, was to have been back in port by December 30. The journey of these children across the sea changed abruptly when their ship struck a reef. That was what happened close to Finschhafen, only some 90 kilometers from Lae, Papua New Guinea.
The incident occurred at around 5:30 am local time on Saturday. The Coral Adventurer was making its way through the beautiful waters of the Morobe, Madang, and Sepik provinces. Powerful maritime currents battered it mercilessly, eventually forcing the ship on to the sharp edge of the reef. Onboard at the time of the incident were 123 passengers from various countries and 43 crew members.
Chaotic Moments Onboard
Passengers told stories of landing in the middle of chaos as news continued to develop. As Ursula Daus recounted the mood on board, “It was just mind boggling. It was crazy from the first second. Although fear escalated among those in the water, they were given no meaningful direction from the crew.
And they would release a little nugget every five hours,” Daus said. This failure to communicate led to increased panic from the passengers on board. Regina Beliavskiene shared an announcement from the ship’s captain that notified them that the ship had grounded and was aground.
Cliff Inglis, another of the passengers who intervened, was just glad that help didn’t take forever to get there. In the end, they rescued us,” he said.
Rescue Operations Begin
After Coral Adventurer was grounded, rescue missions began. Passengers were moved from the stranded vessel to a small dinghy. Then it was a 2.5 hour charter flight back to Cairns…
In her recollection of the moment Coral Adventurer struck the reef, Regina Beliavskiene noted, “There was a captain’s announcement that the ship hit the ground and we were stuck.” On the other hand, another passenger, Marilyn Walter, said the experience felt like “Just a little jar, that’s all.” But other passengers were in much greater danger during this incident.
Ms. Daus shared her own feelings during the ordeal: “I felt like my life was in danger.” However, as evident from testimony and some recorded audio, many passengers faced significant panic, even as others chose to stay calm amid the chaotic scene.
Investigations Underway
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is ongoing investigation into the grounding of Coral Adventurer. They’ve started an email signup to get more information about exactly what happened to hear details of this incident. The ATSB’s investigation will likely explore whether the vessel’s prior issues contributed to its latest troubles.
Less than two months ago, the Coral Adventurer was in the middle of a tragedy. Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old passenger who died on another expedition of the same boat, the Great Barrier Reef. The ship’s last stop was Lizard Island, after a prearranged excursion with no sign of Ms. Rees.
A representative from Coral Expeditions commented on the situation, stating, “Someone from the company will be in touch. I’m just here for logistics.” This statement is an indication that the company has heard and responded to the heightened scrutiny about passenger and communication safety.
